PLAID Cymru fears none of its members will join the House of Lords amid speculation Gordon Brown is set to make no new peers in advance of a massive reform to the second chamber.

PLAID Cymru fears none of its members will join the House of Lords amid speculation Gordon Brown is set to make no new peers in advance of a massive reform to the second chamber.

The party – historically opposed to the Lords – broke with tradition earlier this year when it put forward three nominees, including former leader Dafydd Wigley, to join as peers.

It changed its policy after the Government of Wales Act gave limited law-making powers to the National Assembly, meaning laws will be scrutinised in both Houses of Parliament.

But, five months on, Mr Wigley, together with fellow nominees Eurfyl ap Gwilym and former AM Janet Davies, have yet to hear anything about their appointment, leading to the fear that Mr Brown has no intention of creating any new peers ahead of long-anticipated reform of the Lords.

Plans to be announced in the coming weeks are expected to see the Lords replaced by an elected chamber that could be called the Senate, with about half of the current total of 748 members. Members could come from large, multi-member constituencies modelled on the regional seats used for European Parliament elections.

Last night Mr Wigley said he approved “wholeheartedly” of the plans but expressed his frustration at the situation he and his fellow nominees were left in, describing it as “very, very embarrassing”.

He said: “I wish somebody would tell us what’s happening.

“It seems communications on things like this are limited to the big parties in Westminster. We’ve been in limbo for five months now just hanging fire and it’s very, very embarrassing. It doesn’t actually reflect all that well on the way Westminster works.

“As to the plans, I say ‘hallelujah’. I will be enthusiastic in my support of that, I just wish people would tell us what is going on.”

Asked to whether he would look to stand for an elected second chamber, Mr Wigley said: “A lot depends on the timescale. It depends how long in reality it will take for people to get a chance.

“If there is no general election until 2010, and any change will be two years after that, the question is are they therefore not going to appoint any new members in the meantime? Because the age group means people are dying. Those who are in there are getting older and they need fresh faces.”

The House of Commons last year voted decisively in favour of Lords reform, backing proposals for either all or 80% of members of the upper chamber to be elected.

That vote was a defeat for Tony Blair, the then prime minister, who said an elected upper chamber would pose a threat to the primacy of the Commons.

By contrast, Gordon Brown has signalled his willingness to see a largely elected upper house.

Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, has been overseeing cross-party talks which could now produce formal proposals before Parliament’s summer recess starts next month.

Under the proposals, all three main parties would put their own proposals to voters at the next general election, which may not come until May 2010.

After that election, both the Commons and the Lords would have to vote for the reformed chamber.

Once the process began, existing members of the Lords would be replaced gradually.